Strong to the Core
by fyeahlivelaughlove
Summary: Falling in love with your best friend could either be an indication of true happiness or pure misery. Or maybe a mix of both? Evie and Mal find out which way applies to them, but not as you would expect. WARNING - Cutting


Summary: Falling in love with your best friend could either be an indication of true happiness or pure misery. Or maybe a mix of both? Evie and Mal find out which way applies to them, but not as you would expect.  
WARNING - Cutting

A/N: Even though I'm a grown adult, I made the mistake of watching Descendants from Disney. Right now, I am absolutely Malvie trash.

This is my first fanfiction concerning this fandom and I hope I made them justice.

Please bear in mind that English is not my main language.

Enjoy and if you like it, please leave a review.

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She couldn't believe it had been almost six months since they had been brought to Auradon. She couldn't believe that her life had changed so much in what appeared to be so little time. Her, Mal, Carlos and Jay were well integrated in the school life while still trying to adjust to goodness and kindness and generosity. To her and Carlos it hadn't been that much difficult, but the same couldn't be said for Mal and Jay. They had had the roughest life back in the Island of the Lost, while the Evil Queen was adamant in getting through Evie's head that she was to be married to the richest prince in the land, she still wasn't as tough as Maleficent was to Mal, always pushing her to be bad, eventually even starving and beating her to produce some sort of rage reaction in Mal. Jay was forced to steal, being beaten several times when he was younger for being caught. Neither Cruella nor the Evil Queen laid a hand on their children. The four of them weren't kids that trusted easily, but Jay and Mal were the worst.

So, it came to her as a surprise when Mal willingly went on a date with Ben, a boy whom she had just met a few months ago and that was against everything she had been brought up to think was awful, in a good way, if you know what she meant. That was actually when it all started to go downhill.

It was late at night, maybe around eleven o'clock, when Evie heard her dorm room open ever so carefully which gave the Princess time to roll to her side so she'd be facing the window and her back was turned to the door and, most importantly, to Mal's bed.

The purple haired girl still tried to be as soundlessly as possible, but couldn't help but turn to the blue haired girl, "E? Are you awake?"

When she got no response, she went around to Evie's bed to check if the girl was actually asleep, only to find her that the Princess had her eyes closed and appeared to be knocked out. She shrugged and went to her closet to pick some pajamas walking to the bathroom to change.

As soon as the bathroom door closed, Evie opened her eyes and sighed. She just couldn't understand where all this frustrating feeling was coming from. She should be happy that her best friend was finally trusting someone outside their circle and that she was getting to know other people but she just couldn't shake that feeling out of her head and her heart. If only she could have understood it right away. Feeling a tear drop down her cheek, Evie quickly wiped it away and turned back around lying flat on her stomach, hugging her pillow and drifting off to sleep.

Mal got out of the bathroom and quietly walked to Evie's bed, just to really make sure she was asleep. When she verified that, she unconsciously caressed Evie's cheek with her thumb throwing in an "Evil dreams, Troublemaker". However, as soon as she realized what she was doing, she quickly snapped out of it and went to her bed, confused about what had just happened.

The sun was up before Evie could state that she had rested enough to put up with a day of classes and avoiding eating around her friends and even worse, a day where Mal would tell her everything about her date with dear King Benjamin.

She got up right before Mal, still having time to close herself in the bathroom before the green-eyed girl opened her eyes. Behind that door, Evie closed her eyes and sighed, she seemed to be doing that too many times as of late. She thought she wouldn't give into this temptation again, she swore to Mal she would never let anything get to her to the point of doing this to herself, but the feeling, that feeling that she wasn't able to describe, still lingered around her, turning her insides upside down. So, against everything she had promised Mal since the time she had found her lying in her pseudo-bathroom, with blood all over her, Evie grabbed the razor and put it to her wrist. She let it linger for a bit and taking a deep breath she pushed the razor to her wrist, feeling every tiny drop of blood running down her arm. To this day she didn't believe how much relieve it brought to her heart, to her soul.

It had begun shortly after her mother had caught her eating some sort of candy behind a metal barricade where she and Mal used to get together, just the two of them. She wasn't able to understand how her mother had found out, but ever since then, the Evil Queen just wouldn't shut up about her figure. About her need to be beautiful, skinny, with her make up always on point. Even though there wasn't a real Prince in sight on the Island. Her mother constantly nagging her, ' _Evie, I think you have eaten enough, look at that waist, and those legs! There's no way you're going to get a Prince if you eat like a disgusting pig all the time!'_ had brought Evie this addiction. This self-punishment for not being good enough, beautiful enough, skinny enough, just enough. That was all she ever wanted. To be enough.

She had just finished the first cut when a knock was heard, "Evie? Are you going to take long? I don't want to miss breakfast". Cleaning herself she responded, "No, Mal, I'll be right out". She finished putting her mascara and eyeliner and quickly got out of the bathroom, offering a brief _Good morning_ to Mal. Mal seemed to be a bit taken aback by Evie's weird behavior since last night, but she brushed it off, _Hm, her time of the month is really near._

Evie went down for breakfast just before the other girl, also trying to avoid Carlos, Jay and Lonnie, who would be making sure she was eating something. She grabbed a fat-free yogurt and a pear and quickly darted out of the cafeteria. Not seeing where she was going, she bumped into Doug, who caught her mid-air, stopping her from falling.

"Hey there, Athena, we don't want Princesses falling around here", he had picked up this habit of calling her Athena after the Greek Goddess of Wisdom. She found it cute, but today it was just a little too much. "Doug, I'm not really in the mood for flirting now, I need to get going". Her infatuation with him was long gone. She now knows it was only because he was one of the few who saw her for who she was and not for what she looked like, he saw how intelligent she was, and she had needed someone like that besides her friends to reassure her that she was more that met the eye. She had set things straight with him when he made an attempt to kiss her one time when they were studying together for a Chemistry test. He had taken it surprisingly well, when compared to how the guys in the Island would have reacted.

"What happened?", he was concerned, she could tell. Despite everything he was one of her friends at Auradon Prep. She smiled softly, "It's nothing, really. Just girl stuff", realization dawned upon his face as he nodded his head and smiled sympathetically at her.

"I must get going now, I'll see you in Chemistry class". He nodded and waved goodbye as Evie returned the gesture, following her path down to the gardens to take a breather before a morning full of classes, which included Goodness Class, the one she had with all her friends from the Island. Including Mal. Especially Mal. Evie was actually dreading that class. She knew for sure that Mal would interrogate her as to why she had been ignoring her all night and all morning.

Evie did manage to avoid Mal all through Goodness class, and even entered the classroom before Mal leaving in a hurry when class finished to supposedly go to the bathroom while her friends followed to lunch. Mal indeed noticed that Evie was avoiding her and made a mental note to corner her in their dorm to set things straight with her best friend.

However one other person who noticed how strange Evie was acting was another of her best friends, whom she considered a brother, Carlos de Vil. He could tell Evie was different when he noticed that her eyes didn't light up when she saw Mal seating next to her in class. He was the quietest of the four but he was the most observant and he had already noticed that Evie's eyes always lit up and her smile grew from ear to ear each time she laid eyes on Maleficent's daughter. As soon as they left the classroom and Evie ran straight to the bathroom, Carlos followed suit. Mal and Jay thought it was best to go down to the cafeteria to eat and let Carlos deal with Evie as he always did when she was feeling down.

Cruella's son didn't even give Evil Queen's daughter the chance to lock herself inside the girl's bathroom, pulling her to a corner and making her face him. "Evelyn Grimhilde! What in the Evil World is wrong with you?" he said looking straight into her eyes.

"Can we talk in my dorm, please?" Evie looked at him pleadingly, looking like a little lost puppy which made Carlos instantly regret the tone he had used when talking to her. It wasn't a strange feeling for Carlos, but he was still shocked how full of regret he could be. He nodded and she took his hand leading up the stairs to her dorm. They quickly got in and Evie locked the door.

"Okay, can you tell me now what's wrong, Eves?" he asked her, much softer this time. She shook her head, "It's nothing serious, really", Evie had learned to be a pretty good liar on the Island, but right now Carlos didn't believe a single word she had just said. He tried again, "Evie, I've known you since we were two 2-year-olds causing trouble around our excuses of a house. I can perfectly tell when something is seriously wrong with you. And I really don't like seeing you so down. Why are you ignoring Mal? I know you've been avoiding her all through the morning. She mentioned it to me in Good Manners Class. She thought you were acting a bit weird and that you fled your dorm as soon as you had a chance this morning. I didn't believe her until I watched you two in Goodness Class. So, please, tell me what's wrong." He begged.

She smiled sadly, she knew Carlos wouldn't believe any excuse she made, but not even her knew what was wrong, "I really don't know what's wrong with me Carlos. It's just… I've been feeling something I'm not sure what it is." Carlos smiled, he was getting somewhere with her. "And when do you get these feelings?", he asked sitting on her bed and patting the spot next to him. She sat and put her hands on her head, letting out a frustrated sigh. "I'm not sure. But I think it has something to do with Mal and Ben." She admitted. Carlos tried to analyze the situation in his head. _Okay, either she is missing her best friend, or she likes Ben. Hm, maybe she is jealous, or maybe… Oh my god. She IS jealous, but she doesn't like Ben. Oh my god._ "Carlos?" Evie waved her hand in front of his face. Carlos snapped out of it, "Okay, and why do you think you feel like whatever you're feeling?" He was trying to get her to understand by herself. He knew she truly didn't have a clue as to why she was acting this way. Although pretty confident on the outside, Evie was only a naïve teenage girl with a dream of finding her own Prince Charming as she had always been told to do so.

"Oh, I don't know. But ever since we've got here, everything Mal talks about is Ben. ' _We need to make a love potion for Ben. We need to go to games to watch Ben. Ben is taking me out on a date. Ben was not under the influence of the potion. Ben is actually a nice guy._ ' I know she is really happy with him, but can't she talk about anything else? I miss my old Mal, the sneaky, tiny devil, funny Mal. My Troublemaker." She felt a tear go down her cheek. Carlos noticed it too. "Hey hey, don't cry. She is still that evil genius and fun loving girl. She is just still adjusting to all this goodness, friendly life. You know she loves you to death. She is still your Mal." Carlos winked at her. But she still hadn't gotten to the point he wanted her to. "But, really, Evie. Tell me how you feel when that things happen. I know you don't know what it is, but describe to me how you're feeling".

Evie looked at him like he had just turned to stone, she didn't know where he was going with this, but she went along. "Hm, I don't know. Ever since we got here, when I'm around Mal I think that I feel something in my stomach, like something is turning upside down in there. You know, those little bugs with wings? Bit… But… Butterflies, yeah. Like a whole bunch of them are inside my stomach. I read somewhere about that expression. _Butterflies in my stomach._ So I think that's it. And when she talks about Ben, I feel like my throat is closing up, and like there is a knot in my stomach and my heart aches a little, and is it possible for your heart to ache? And even though I want her to talk to me about Ben because he makes her so happy, I really don't want to hear about how wonderful and amazing he is". Carlos smiled. Yes, now he was sure about his conclusion. "Hm, Evie. Do you remember about when you read that expression you just talked about… the one about the butterflies?" Evie nodded, "Yes, it was like in one of the fairytales back at the library".

"And do you know what it referred to? The expression, I mean." He continued. Evie pondered for a moment, "Hm.. I think it had something to do with being in lo…", Evie stopped mid-sentence and Carlos understood the exact moment realization dawned upon her and he wasn't sure he had ever seen someone's eyes so wide open. Evie started shaking her head really fast, "No, it can't be! Carlos, no. No. No. It's not right. It's not supposed to happen. No. No. Oh my god. I can't. I'm not." she started pacing around the room and Carlos had to grab her arms to make her stop. He smiled, "Yes you can. And yes, you are."

Evie sat once again, still shaking her head, "No. Oh my god. I'm in love with my best friend."

"Yes, you are." Carlos gently rubbed her shoulders, trying to calm her down, "and it's perfectly okay. Actually I'm not sure how you didn't realize it any sooner." Evie looked at him, confusion and despair all over her eyes, "What do you mean, sooner?".

"I'm saying that I've noticed how your eyes light up at even just the mention of Mal's name. How your smile fills up your whole face when you see her walking towards you. How you practically drool when you see her being good at something she's doing.", he simply stated.

"No. That's not possible. I can't do that to Mal. I have to get away from her for a while, I'm sure this will all go away. It's just this atmosphere here in Auradon, you'll see. Oh evil, I need air." Before Carlos could refute everything she had just said, Evie fled the room and ran with the intent of getting to the gardens in the back of the school campus. Which was just about the worse she could have done. As she was stepping out of the main building, her arm was grabbed by a very pale hand, which pulled her into one of the bathrooms, locking it behind her. _Damn. Just my evil luck._ Evie closed her eyes, surely this was just a nightmare. But it wasn't. As she opened her eyes she realized it wasn't. _Mal._

Mal stood in front of her, just inches away from her face and Evie felt like she would pass out any moment. Mal put an arm on each side of Evie's head, hand against the wall, "Finally, you look at me.", she said with a smirk, "If I didn't know, I would think you were avoiding me", she added and Evie could swear she saw a glint of sadness in those green eyes.

"I'm not avoiding you. I'm just not feeling very well today". Evie lied to her best friend. She knew Mal wouldn't really believe her, but she tried anyway. Evie saw hurt flash in Mal's eyes, "Are you actually lying to me?! How can you lie to me, Evie?", Mal tried to mask her disappointment with anger, "I'm your freaking best friend since we were just months old! How dare you lie to me?!".

Evie was a bit taken aback by Mal's behavior, she knew that her best friend wouldn't forgive her for having lied, but she needed to stay away from Mal for a while, "I'm serious, I'm just a little off today", Evie shrugged and tried to escape Mal, who instantly gripped her arm, turning her around to face her again.

"You're going to keep lying to me? You're not even saying what is happening? That's how you want it?", Mal questioned, looking completely irritated.

"I'm not lying.", Evie said softly, grabbing Mal's hand to get it away from her arm, "I just need to clear my head".

Mal watched Evie walk away and she could swear her chest had never been so tight as it was at that moment. Mal couldn't decipher right away what that feeling was, but she settled for a feeling of anger and frustration for not being able to tell why Evie was acting this way.

The rest of the day passed by uneventful. Mal spent time with Ben until curfew, when she went back to her room, only to find that Evie wasn't there yet. Mal found it incredibly awkward, seeing as Evie didn't ever miss curfew since the coronation. Mal wouldn't admit it but she was quite worried about her friend, but her stubbornness made her change into her pajamas and lie down on her bed waiting for sleep to come.

As the days went by, Mal and Evie barely acknowledged each other and only saw eye to eye in classes or during lunch and dinner. Their friends were barely standing the situation but none of the girls would cave. After many attempts, they stopped trying to get them back on good terms, especially when Mal had apparently disappeared for a whole week doing Evil knows what with Ben. And that had left Evie completely heartbroken. Truth be told, she had wanted to stay a bit away from Mal, to get her feelings sorted, but she was failing miserably at that. She longed for her best friend's presence. She couldn't go a day without seeing her. So after not seeing Mal for a whole week, Evie broke down.

It was right around that time that Carlos, not having seen Evie the whole day, entered the girls' dorm room and found a bloody, crying Evie in the bathtub.

"What the hell is going on, Evie?", Carlos questioned his friend. Evie looked up, tears falling down her cheeks, "I can't take this, C. I just can't. I'm not strong enough. It's so hard.", she said, crying even more.

Carlos went to pick her up from the bathtub and examined her arms, checking to see if the cuts weren't too deep. He grabbed her arms and put them on the sink, to clean her up and disinfect the wounds. He treated her so gently that she felt like crying again. After finally bandaging her up, he led her to the bed and laid her on it, covering her up with a blanket, "You know you can't keep doing this, Evie. It's not going to do much about the situation. I know it brings relieve and that is some kind of punishment for liking her, but it's just not worth it, honey."

"But it hurts either way. It hurts so much seeing her with him. Why do I have to feel like this? Why can't I just be happy for my best friend?"

Carlos could only hug the poor heart-broken girl. He knew what she was feeling and he knew just how shattered a heart could be from this. He could see it in her eyes, in her actions. During the last weeks, Evie had not been herself and he couldn't understand why Mal still hadn't cornered Evie to figure out what was happening to her best friend. The old Mal would have done that in a heartbeat. The old Mal would have fought to know what made her best friend look so lifeless. When the blue-haired girl finally fell asleep, tear stains on her face, Carlos knew what he had to do.

After searching the whole school, he had finally found her in a corner on the farthest side of the library, hiding behind a shelf of old, dusty books.

"Mal Bertha, would you mind telling me why I haven't seen your face for the last week? Do I need to schedule an appointment?", Carlos, like Evie and Jay, had not seen Mal for the last week. First, she had gone to spend the weekend with the Royals at Ben's castle. Then, she had spent all her time with Ben, planning some changes of Auradon's policies. Or so she said. "If I didn't know it, I would say you were avoiding me. Or better yet. All your friends. You know? The ones you've known since you were a baby?"

Mal froze in her place. Her whole body froze. She didn't even dare look up. Truth be told, Carlos was the last of her friends she'd have thought would have this kind of outburst. He was supposed to be the shy, quiet one. _Yeah right._

"Avoiding you? Did you hit your head, C?", Mal tried to sound calm and collected, but that was clearly not working, seeing as her guilt filled her whole sentence. _Damn feelings. Damn goodness._

Carlos was fuming. He bent down to grab Mal's forearm, and pulled her up, dragging her across the library to a more seclude place.

"Do you have any idea of the consequences of your actions? I know you're living life to the fullest, becoming a future Queen, having fun and be important, but have you thought about the people around you? Where is the Mal that chose good? Do you even know what that means anymore? You do remember you have friends, right? Do you remember you have best friends around this school?"

"Carlos, you're overreacting. I've been gone for a few days. I didn't left the country", Mal once again tried to play it cool, but she knew he was right. She had been avoiding them whatever way she could. But that was the only way she came up with to stop all this confusion in her head.

"Overreacting? Well then, Miss Future Queen of Auradon. Tell me that not talking to your best friends for a whole week after leaving without a freaking notice is not a reason to overreact. Tell me how finding your best friend broken and miserable crying on the bathroom floor of her dorm with cuts on her arms and blood all over is not a reason to overreact. Can you tell Evie that she is overreacting? I can tell she would appreciate you acknowledging her presence, contrary to what you've been doing."

Mal felt as a hammer had just tore through her heart. _Evie was cutting again? Because of this?_ _No, she couldn't._ Tears pooled on Mal's eyes. Her best friend. Her troublemaker cutting again? And because of her? Reality hit Mal like a ton of bricks.

"Evie?", Mal couldn't pronounce anything else. The lump in her throat was stopping her from even breathing.

"Damn it, Mal. You know that you're her whole world. You, Jay and I are her family. You know how fragile her head and heart are. She's the most incredible human being and probably the last person that deserved this. Especially coming from you", Carlos looked tired. For a few moments, he wished they were back on the Island. At least none of this would be happening.

"Where is she?", was the only question Mal was able to form. Carlos pointed to the dorm room and Mal's feet could only run right to the door of her room. She opened it quietly and instantly noticed Evie's figure lying down on her bed, tears stains all over her face and arms with bandages on. Mal thought she had finally stopped breathing. The lump in her throat had won and her entire system was failing. Laying a hand over her hand, Mal started sobbing as her feet directed her to her best friend's bed. Crouching so she would be facing Evie, Mal placed a gentle hand on Evie's cheek caressing her with her thumb ever so lightly. _Damn Evie. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I'm scared and don't know how to deal with this._

Under her touch, Mal could feel Evie starting to move. She quickly withdrew her hand and got up just as Evie opened her bloodshot eyes, "Mal?", her surprised tone pierced Mal's heart like an arrow.

The girl got up right away, she would not allow the girl in front of her fill her with excuses or ' _sorry's_ '. She had done enough damage and Evie could see the regret and realization in Mal's eyes. However she would not break in front of Mal. She would put up on a brave façade, whatever pain it might cause her.

"What do you want, Mal? Come to check for yourself what your actions brought upon your friends?", her bitter tone translated into an even guiltier feeling to Mal. Her sweet Evie so bitter. Out of the four of them she was always the sweetest, the most understanding, and the most caring.

"Evie…," she started but was quickly interrupted by Evie, "Oh, don't 'Evie' me, Mal. Just tell me why, Mal. Tell me why you suddenly forgot about your friends. You know? The ones that have been there for you through everything. How can you be so stupid that you just ignore us all of the sudden?".

Evie knew she was being too harsh on Mal, and maybe Mal didn't deserve all of that. But Evie was too heartbroken and felt truly abandoned by one of the three persons that she knew cared about her. Mal couldn't really understand why Evie was acting like this. Evie was not this person in front of her that's for sure.

"Damn it Mal, you are completely delusional. Ben's the only thing you see ever since the coronation. Ben this, Ben that. You do realize that there's more to life than Ben, right? Yeah, I understand that you are happy and that you have an awesome King by your side and that you are settling to this new life of responsibility, but you have friends and right now I think you've forgotten that!"

Mal didn't take people screaming at her very well, especially if was someone close to her, so when Evie started raising her tone of voice, Mal instinctively assumed a defensive posture and that would not work out well for either of them, "You are just jealous", Evie's mouth dropped, "You're jealous that I finally have a Prince, actually a King and you don't have one yet like you've dreamt of having since you were a little girl".

To say Evie was shocked was an understatement, but to say Evie was only hurt was a pure lie. Once again this little purple-haired girl had broken her heart, but Evie didn't not falter in front of her, "Really? You went there?", Evie was raising her voice, "You are just like your mom, after all. Damn, you've been faking it good, Mal. And you know what? You can have your fucking King and your great life", Evie stepped closer to Mal, her faces only inches apart, "and you know what? You can keep that shallow, evil, awful personality all to yourself.

Finally Evie stopped all the yelling, however her last words would turn everything upside down, "And to think I actually thought we were friends. Just forget me, Mal. Fucking forget I exist and go live your happy life". Mal wasn't quite sure if it was the fact that this side of Evie had caught her completely off guard or if it was just the closeness of their lips that made her do it, but she instantly grabbed Evie's face and pressed their lips together with such force that she was sure there would be bruised lips in the morning. As quickly as she kissed Evie she pulled away looking at a wide-eyed girl. Her only thought was to run. _Run. Run right now_. And so she did. She ran as fast as she could, leaving a dumbfounded, shattered Evie behind.

After that, days went by when Evie would only see Mal during meals and when they went to sleep. Mal never once directed any attention to Evie. Well, that Evie noticed anyway. Mal would stay awake for so long after Evie had fallen asleep that during the day she could barely function accordingly. She stayed away tracing Evie's sleeping form with her eyes countless times. _Damn._ She really needed to shake this feeling off. She would not let herself feel like this, she would only get hurt. And she had had her fair share of hurt in her not so long life. But most of all, she would end up hurting her best friend and she would not have that happen. But against all that she thought, she was doing exactly that. She was breaking Evie and she could feel it every time she heard Evie cry herself to sleep as silently as she could.

To avoid seeing Evie like this, thinking it would be better for everyone if she just stepped aside and let her friends live their lives, Mal focused her attention on school and Ben, convincing herself that that was what made her happy.

It only worsened Evie's condition. Mal didn't know but every day before she got to her dorm room to sleep, Evie cut herself. She was spiraling downwards. She was going to a place without return. She had stopped eating and she didn't even care about school anymore. She was failing classes and no one seemed to figure out why. She isolated herself in the library while Mal was hanging out with the cool crowd, supposedly having the time of her life but feeling as every bit of miserable as possible. During lunch and dinner she tried to observe Evie as discreetly as she could, and every time Ben insisted in saying hello, the girls' eyes crossed each other's paths, both looking away faster than a high-speed train. Every time she looked at Evie, she could see the blue-haired princess toy with the tiny portion of food that stood on her plate, the same portion that would stay in that place as she put it in the tray holder. She noticed the girl was not looking very well, but she didn't dare say anything to her, afraid that it would backlash against her.

Once again it was Carlos that felt the need to make everything right again. He was incredibly sad and too sick of seeing two people who clearly loved each other in pain because they were too stubborn to admit how they felt to each other.

So one could tell that it was déjà vu, when Carlos cornered Mal once again near the entrance door, taking her away from Ben with the excuse of having to speak to her about some troubles going on with him and Jay.

"Care to elaborate about what made you act like a stuck up, stupid and incredibly senseless asshole?", Carlos did not felt the need to talk calmly, he had to get through Mal's stubborn head that she was acting foolishly. Making everyone, herself included, hurt.

"Wow, dude. Calm down! No need to freaking attack me!", Mal instantly put up her defense barriers, ready to counter-attack in any way she could. "What are you talking about?". Truth be told, Mal knew exactly what he was talking about. He only acted like this when it concerned one of his best friends and right now Mal was sure he was acting like this because of Evie. She felt terribly guilty but she really was doing what she thought was best for her friends.

"Evie, Mal. Evie. You know? Your best friend since birth? The girl who would die for you? And until a few weeks ago the girl I'm sure you would die for?", Carlos was certain Mal knew what he was talking about and he could see the guilt plastered on Mal's eyes. He knew why she was acting like this. He knew Mal didn't knew what to do with these newfound feelings, she was always taught that love was for the weak, that caring was for the weak. She had never been loved, Carlos knew that Mal didn't understand what love felt like and that she would not recognize it when she felt it, which was exactly the case. He just didn't think she would do this to her best friend.

"God Mal! I'm not even talking about me and Jay. I just can't understand how you could do this to your best friend. You have to fix this, Mal. You really need to fix it. And I really hope you're not too late, because she broke down crying five minutes ago when you sat on Ben's lap and kissed him there was no tomorrow back in the garden right when she was leaving Chemistry class. She was walking outside and saw you both and she just couldn't take it. She ran straight to her bedroom and I'm afraid of what she could do and honestly? That's the sole reason I'm telling you this". Carlos was as sincere as he could with Mal. He was truly afraid of what Evie might do and he knew that the only way to put a stop to all this bullshit going around was through Mal.

"I just don't understand what's wrong about me being with Ben. I know I pushed you away a bit, but my relationship with Ben doesn't have anything to do with it", Mal tried to clear that up and understand what made Evie so upset.

"Are you really that thick that you don't notice? Are you really that oblivious? Damn it, Mal. I thought you were smarter than that", Carlos admitted after recognizing that she really didn't know what was going on. Mal stared at him, confused, "What do you mean?"

Carlos gave up, he knew he shouldn't be the one telling her this, but Evie's life was most likely at risk, "She's in love with you, you idiot. She freaking loves you!"

"Carlos, are you on something? You do realize what you're saying?", Mal couldn't believe what he had said. _Evie loved her. What? How? Oh my Evil, Evie loved her!_

"Mal Bertha, she loves you and I know you love her. Please, just please go to her before it's too late". Mal didn't need more encouraging as she ran straight to her dorm room, anticipation and fear running through her body. _Evie loved her. Damn. Evie loved her and she had broken her heart. She had to stop Evie from doing something stupid._

Mal entered her dorm room hurriedly to find Evie. _How could have she been that stupid and not realize what was happening? How could Evie be so stupid to think that Mal would freak out if she told her?_. "Evie?! Eves, are you in here?", Mal searched around the room and her eyes stopped when she heard a sob coming from the bathroom and instantly her heart sunk. _Evie._ She ran through the room and tried to open the bathroom door only to find that it was locked. "Evie! Evie, please open up!", Mal heard her sobs intensify and her own tears appeared in her eyes. "Troublemaker, please!" Mal used the special nickname they had for each other to try to make Evie open the door. Still, Evie did not open it. Deciding this was a worrying factor, Mal produced a spell and opened the door, only to wish she didn't have to witness what she saw at that exact moment.

Evie was on the floor, back against the wall, knees bent and head on top of them. Her arms were loosely by her sides and they touched the floor, just like the blood dripping from them. There was a pool of blood on either side of Evie and that image would haunt Mal forever.

The purple-haired girl ran to the girl lying on the floor, "Evie! Evie! What have you done? Evie, listen to me!", Mal grabbed Evie's head with both hands and saw the tear-stained face of her best friend. Tears caused by her and her inability to see what was happening. She pulled Evie close to her, using a towel to stop the blood as Evie opened her eyes, "Mal? Mal, I'm scared.", the girl looked so small in Mal's arms.

"Oh Eves, what have you done?", Mal grabbed Evie even closer as she felt tears pool in her eyes. She couldn't stand seeing her best friend like this, "Honey, you need to get up, please." Mal pleaded only to see Evie shaking her head, "Can't. Not strong enough" were the only words she produced.

"No, no, you are strong. You're the strongest person I know, you're strong to the core", Mal was pleased when she saw the corners of Evie's mouth slightly curve upwards, "No, that's you. You're the strong one, Mal". Mal shook her head, "No, Evie. Please get up. Please, we need to get help. You know magic can't help much in situations like these".

The blue-haired girl closed her eyes again, "I never meant for this to happen. I swear Mal. Never. I just wasn't strong enough to fight all of these feelings. I'm so sorry."

Mal understood what she was talking about. Carlos told her and Mal now knew everything, so she just grabbed Evie's face, shaking her softly so the girl would open her eyes, "Evelyn Grimhilde, never, never apologize for this. You've done nothing wrong, baby. I'm the one who is sorry. Sorry for not noticing this earlier and to save you from all this pain".

Evie opened her eyes and smiled faintly, "There was nothing you could have done. I just fell, and fell hard and now I can't take this anymore. I love seeing you happy but I can't be happy about it. My heart clenches every time you talk about him, every date you have. It breaks my heart every time. My heart is shredded and I'm not strong enough to put the pieces back together." Mal knew how hard it was being for Evie to articulate these words right now, so she just shushed her.

"I'm sorry I caused you so much pain, Evie. I'm so sorry. None of this would have happened if I just accepted what I was feeling much earlier. If I didn't try to deny that I cared about someone more than life itself. It was all so strange to me. I was so scared. I never knew this feeling. I never felt it for someone. Not the way I feel it for you", Mal confessed, opening her hear to the weak, dying girl in her arms.

Evie didn't know if it was the loss of blood making her light headed, but she was extremely confused about what was going on, "Mal… what…", she was feeling weaker by the second.

"I freaking love you, Evelyn. More than evil, more than goodness, more than reason, more than life. I think I've loved you all my life. I just didn't know what love was until we got here. And even then, I thought I was being selfish. You were so close to living your dream to find a prince and live in a palace. And I couldn't give you that.", Mal finally let herself cry, holding the girl of her dreams. Cries turned to sobs and soon both girls were shanking violently.

"You know… something? You… are… so, so stupid, Mal... So stupid.", Mal was surprised when she saw Evie smiled through her tears, "and still, I love you so much. So deeply. So truly. So purely. I love you, Troublemaker. I'm just sorry that it took so long for both of us to admit it to each other."

Mal pulled Evie closer up to her, making her best friend face her, "Shh, there's always time. You are so strong, you'll get through this", Mal put her hands on either side of her best friend's face, "I love you."

The purple-haired girl finally closed the distance between them, pressing her lips to Evie's, and in that moment, both girls could swear they never felt happier. They stayed like that for a few seconds before Evie collapsed in Mal's arms.

It was a lovely day in Auradon Prep, the scenery seemed fairytale like. Birds chirping through the amazingly green trees, a light breeze to help cool the heat that the bright sun radiated. It seemed the perfect setting for this. It matched her. _Her_. Mal looked around the Campus, everything so still that if it weren't for the birds you would say the world had come to a stop. For Mal it had. The world had stopped ever since that dreadful day. Actually it had stopped twice and Mal still couldn't believe that everything had happened the way it did. Evie telling her she loved her. Evie collapsing in her arms.

The purple-haired girl left Auradon Prep's entrance and went down the stairs to embrace all the light the sun had to offer. It reminded Mal of her. _Her._ Everything pure reminded her of her blue-haired best friend.

Mal didn't have a chance to walk far away as she felt two soft arms embrace her waist and a chin laying ever so slightly on her shoulder, "Hey there, Troublemaker!"

If someone went back a year ago, they would have never believed that it was possible for Mal to smile so brightly and so full of happiness, "Hey," she said softly, "what are you doing here?"

"Well, I'm hugging my girlfriend," the girl stated as if it were the most obvious answer she could have given.

Mal laughed, "I know, sillyhead. But really, why are you here?"

"I woke up and you weren't there and it was too early so I went looking for you and Carlos said that you had just came outside, so I came here to get my good morning kiss", she answered.

Mal turned her head to the side, putting her hand on the other girl's cheek and leaning in to press a gentle kiss to her lips, "Good morning then, Evie. Satisfied now?"

"That'll do for now," Evie teased. "But really, why are you outside so soon?", she questioned her girlfriend.

"Just thinking…", Mal answered, while smiling and turning in Evie's arms, now facing her, "about all of this", she finished.

Evie smiled, knowing exactly what her girlfriend was talking about. In so little time, they had overcome so much and grown an incredible amount. They were better people. They were good, kind, generous, they loved, they gave, they were stronger and they were in their true element, finally. Thanks to that young Prince-turned-King, they had a chance at life. Real life. Good life. And now, they wouldn't have it any other way.

Evie hugged Mal, "I love you, Troublemaker. So much". Mal closed her eyes and pulled Evie impossibly closer, "I love you too, Princess."

Mal's eyes shot open when someone violently shook her. _Damn. Another one of these dreams. I really need to stop all this lovey dovey stuff_. She supported her weight on her elbows. "What?", she spoke profoundly irritated, "Can't I freaking enjoy my dreams now? What time is it?". Carlos and Jay shrugged.

"You really need to get up. You do remember what day is it, don't you?", Carlos questioned her. He could almost see the wheels turning inside Mal's head and he perfectly understood when realization hit her, "Oh my Evil!", she let herself fall onto her bed again and closed her eyes, nerves suddenly feeling her whole body.

"C'mon Mal, you need to get ready. You don't propose to someone and then don't show up to your own wedding", Jay laughed as he dragged Mal from her bed. When she was finally up, Carlos started going wild, running all around the room, gathering all that was necessary to get Mal perfect.

"Have you seen her today?", she questioned her friends. They nodded, "Lonnie and Audrey are with her. She's a nervous wreck and was crying for ten minutes straight when she noticed the bags under her eyes," Carlos hadn't finished his sentence and Mal was already running towards the door. Too bad that Jay was fast as a cheetah and managed to catch her halfway, stopping her from going to find her fiancée.

"Seeing the bride before the wedding brings bad luck and I think you've both had your fair share of that", Jay informed. Mal gave up, "But she's okay now? Not having any doubts?".

Carlos smiled, "Mal, that girl wants to marry you ever since you were both sixteen. Maybe even sooner. Never in this or any other lifetime would she have doubts about marrying you".

"Are you sure?", Mal did believe her friends, but she wanted to make sure herself. That wish came true when Carlos shoved a cellphone in her direction, "Go on, text her. One text and then you'll let us get you all set". Mal didn't even listen to what he had said as she was already typing a text. _Good morning, beautiful. How are you feeling? Not backing out of marrying this crazy, mental but incredibly hot girl, right? No prince with a huge castle can top that! :p I love you so much. You make me so happy. See you in a few! 3_

Mal pressed send and straight away Carlos started working on her hair and make-up while Jay prepared her dress and shoes. A beeping sound came not even five minutes later. Mal immediately pressed her finger on the screen. _Good morning, angel. I'm nervous as hell but never been so excited. I'm so glad that I'm marrying you. I love you to the moon and back, Mal. Thank you for making me happy, Troublemaker. You're the love of my life and I wouldn't have it any other way. 3_

Mal sighed happily. Finally Evie would be hers forever. Against all odds, they were actually going to have their _Happily Ever After._


End file.
